Armenian Apostolic Church leader faces trial as feud with PM deepens

Armenia will put the head of the country’s ancient Apostolic Church and six other clerics on trial on allegations of defying a civil court order.

The trial is due to begin on Friday at the Armavir Regional Court in the central city of Vagharshapat, often referred to as the spiritual capital of Armenia. The seven defendants are accused of failing to reinstate a bishop who was defrocked and face up to two years in prison each if convicted.

The Church defrocked Bishop Gevorg Saroyan in January, accusing him of abusing his authority and neglecting his duties. Saroyan is a supporter of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Both men have called for the resignation of Catholicos Karekin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and spiritual leader of millions of Armenians worldwide.

Karekin is a prominent critic of Pashinyan, who has accused the Catholicos and the Church of spying for Russia. Pashinyan has not provided evidence to support those allegations, while Karekin and the Church deny any wrongdoing.

The trial is widely seen as the latest escalation in a bitter feud between Pashinyan and the Church, which has criticised the prime minister over his handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly his decision to cede territory to neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan regained full control of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023, which Karekin blamed on Pashinyan.

The prime minister subsequently accused Karekin of secretly fathering a child and breaking his vow of celibacy, and demanded that he resign.

Opposition politicians, church leaders and civil society groups say the prosecution of the Catholicos is politically motivated, and ⁠part of a wider crackdown on government critics.

Anna Melikyan, a lawyer at Protection of Rights Without Borders, an Armenian non-profit group, said the case violated the constitutional independence of the Apostolic Church.

“This is a clear interference of the executive power in church affairs,” she said.

“There are a lot of concerns about the independence of the judiciary in ⁠Armenia…and with certain politically sensitive cases, including cases against the church or clergy, these concerns become very strong.”